Engine Turners Cement or Wax - How to make it

The traditional cement that Engine Turners use to hold and fill awkward shaped objects.

This is very similar to sealing wax and setters cement. We use a derivitive of the formula shown below and there are many similar recipes for different purposes.

Ingredients:

2 lbs (900g) Rosin (use water white soluble resin for ease of removal)
2 lbs (900g) White Dental Plaster
    (barytes is a substitute, but much heavier so you need more by weight, similar volume)
Knob of Tallow the size of a walnut
3/4 oz (20g) Parafin Wax (candle wax)

Method:

Gently heat the resin and plaster until well mixed and bubbling.
Add half the tallow and paraffin wax, then flake the rest in until it will stick when running it across a warm block of steel (warmed until the condensation from the flame disappears), but won't be marked by your finger nail when cold.

Experience will find the exact correct consistency that will hold on silver and gold without either pinging off or moving slowly during cutting.

The wax needs to be replaced by the time it turns dark or "plain chocolate" brown, or sooner for critical holding such as thin sheets of metal. If pink finishing plaster is used, the wax will appear brown when new, so judging age and useful life will be harder.

If you have a traditional formula for engine turners cement, please let us know on our feedback page. We believe that this information should be preserved and shared for posterity.